Avalanches in Mace, Idaho

Sun., Jan. 12, 2020

“Coming without the slightest warning, except for the thunderous roar momentarily preceding the shock, a huge avalanche swept down the precipitous sides of Custer mountain, completely burying the little town of Mace, Idaho, and filling the narrow Burke canyon to a depth of 75 feet, resulting in a toll of more than 20 killed and scores injured.”
So began a Feb. 27, 1930, story in The Spokesman-Review, describing events that had occurred exactly two decades prior.
Mace was hit again in 1956 by another avalanche resulting in the death of a 10-year-old boy and the destruction of five houses.

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“The Coeur d’Alenes face this menace of snowslides nearly every winter,” read one Spokesman-Review story in 1937. “There have been many slides through the years, most of them claiming some lives. There is little that can be done about it.”